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Month: March 2016

The Newcastle North Stars have been forced to forfeit their upcoming game against the Sydney Bears due to a lack of players. A scheduling conflict with their East Coast Super League (ECSL) club meant the North Stars would not have a full team to travel to Penrith to take on the Bears. As a result of the forfeit the game has been declared a 5-0 to the Bears. For more information see the announcement from the club.

Game 3 between the Ice Dogs and the North Stars will go ahead as normal.

Perth Thunder
The Perth Thunder will live broadcast their home games for the 2016 season via the Mixlr platform. The commentary team will be made up of Jordan Scardetta, Luke Worthington, Rick Hotzak and Chris McRae. For more information see the announcement from the club

Sydney Bears
The Bears have reached a deal that will see at least two of the teams home games broadcast on Hawkesbury Radio 89.9fm. The games which will be broadcast have yet to be confirmed. The Bears will also continue to broadcast their games on their normal Mixlr stream.

The South Australian Ice Sports Federation have reached an agreement that will see a new ice surface created for the Adelaide Ice Arena’s large rink in four weeks. The large rink had to be closed in February for repairs and it was initially unclear how long the closure would last.

Following the news the AIHL has announced some changes to the 2016 schedule. Newcastle will now play Perth on 23 April, moving forward their second away game against the Thunder which was originally scheduled for 17 July. Adelaide’s home game against Newcastle on 23 April along with the home games against Perth on 30 April and 1 May are to be rescheduled for a later date.

Sydney Bears
– The Bears have announced the signing of goaltender Anthony Kimlin for the upcoming 2016 season. Kimlin is currently playing for the Whitby Dunlops of the a Allen Cup Hockey league and has been with the team since 2011. He last played in the AIHL for the Sydney Ice Dogs during the 2013 season where he was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Kimlin will also be representing Australia at the upcoming World Championships in Mexico which starts on 9 April. For more information see the announcement by the club.

CBR Brave
The Brave have announced the signing of Geordie Wudrick for the upcoming 2016 season. Wudrick spent last season playing for the Newcastle North Stars where he scored 96 points in 30 games and was named both the regular season and playoffs MVP. During the AIHL off-season Wudrick returned to play for the Louisiana IceGators of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Sydney Ice Dogs
– The Ice Dogs have announced the signing of Todd Stephenson for the upcoming 2016 season. Stephenson joins his brother Scott in returning to the Ice Dogs lineup after both retired at the end of the 2013 AIHL season. Stephenson has competed in 225 games for the Ice Dogs from 2004 to 2013 and is also a former member of the national team playing in 32 games from 2007 to 2014. For more information see the announcement from the club.

Melbourne Ice
– The Ice have announced the signing of Joey Hughes for the upcoming 2016 season. Hughes previously played for the Ice from 2005 to 2013 before leaving the team in June 2013. In 2014 he joined the Melbourne Mustangs where Hughes has spent the last two seasons. For more information see the announcement from the club.

Melbourne Mustangs
– It has been announced that defenceman Vinnie Hughes has retired from the AIHL due to family commitments. Hughes played for the Melbourne Ice from 2004 to 2013 before joining the Mustangs for the 2014 season. Hughes competed in a total of 213 AIHL games and recorded 67 points. The official retirement will be held on 23 April in front the two Melbourne teams season opening game. For more information see the announcement from the Melbourne Ice.

Newcastle North Stars
– The North Stars have announced the re-signing of Scott Swiston for the upcoming 2016 season. Swiston joined the North Stars last season, playing in 19 games and scoring 33 points. During the AIHL off-season Swiston returned to play at the University of Alberta Augustana. For more information see the announcement from the club.

It has been announced that Wayne Gretzky will host the 2016 Ice Hockey Classic which is set to begin on 17 June in Melbourne. As part of the endorsement the promoters have created a competition to win a meet and greet with Gretzy during the Sydney leg of the series.